Nutcracker



Oct. 3l, 1939. s. B. LENNARD NUTCRACKER Filed Feb. l5, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 "ils/L6 Innen-bnr E. B.LENNF1RD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 NUTCRACKER S. B. LENNARD Oct. 3l, 1939.

Filed Feb. 15, 1939 Innen-bnr' 5. B. LENNHRD Httmrna Patented Oct. 31, 1939 UNITED- STATES @PATENT orifice NU TCRACKER Application February 15, 1939, vSerial No. 256,533

13 Claims.

M y inventionrelates to :improvements in nutcrackersand an object y.of theinvention is to devise va `-nutcracli/.er in which the shells of nuts of various sizes can be cracked with the .minimum of `effort and without damagngpthe ,kernels of the nuts.

With theabove and otherobjects in View which will hereinafter :appear ias the 'specication proceeds my inventionlconsists, `in its preferred embodiment, of the construction and arrangement all as hereinafter moreparticula-rly described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings .in which- Fig. l representsfatopplan View of anutcracker constructed according to my invention.

Fig. 2 VAis :aside VView 'taken at n'right .angles to Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section.

Fig. 4 is Aan enlargedvertical .section taken through the vline 4-4 (Fig. 2).

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical'section taken `on the line 5--5 (Fig. 1), and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary iside View of aportion of the spindle to kwhich themovablejaw of rthe device is attached showing the :construction of the `teeth .on 4the rack of such spindle.

Like characters of 4reference indicate correspondingparts inthe'different viewsof the drawings.

In -the :form of my invention as illustrated in the drawingsmynutcracker comprises a handle member I of preferably substantially cylindrical form having a longitudinalbore 2 therethrough into one end lof -Which is threaded asleeve 3 disposed coaxially with the `handle member l and connecting it to a Xed jaw d.

The fixed jaw 4 has a cuppedl nutfreceiving portion 5 which may be reduoedin sizein the vicinity of a collar whichconnects the fixed jaw to the sleeve 3, aset-screw 'I being provided to secure the collar 6 onthe end of the sleeve3.`

The other end 2a of the bore 2 of the handle member I is of .reduced'diameter and a spindle 8 `extends therethrough and through the sleeve 3 into theportion 5 of the xed jaw. An upwardly extending plate is secured to .the end of the spindle 8 .disposed in the portion 5 .andconstitutes a movable jaw 9 which cooperates with the xed jaw 4 to crack the shellsof vthe nutslinserted into the portion :5. Arcollar IIJ is .provided onthe portion of thejspind-le B'which is located in the bore 2and1a1spiral spring! I surroundssuch portionof the spindle -8 'with `one endabutting the endfof` the ysleeve 3 vthreaded into vthe :bore and the" other end :abutting 4theccollar I0. Such spring Il normally vtends to `hold 'the spindle y8 and the movable jaw 9 in the retracted position.

The portion of the sleeve 3 between the handle member I and the collar i(i has a longitudinal slot I2 therethrough to receive a pawl I3 adapted to engage the teeth of a longitudinally extending rack I .on thespindle. The pawl is pivotally mounted in the forked-end I5 of an actuating lever` .I6 which Vis ofsubstantially bell crank form and has its opposite end directed towards the butt end of the handle member I and adjacent to such handle member. The lever I6 is fulcrumed intermediately of its length to the sleeve 3 by screws Il extending through theiorkedend I5 of such lever.

The teeth of the rack I4 are so directed that when the lever IIB is swungtowards the handle member the .pawl I3-wi1l=propel the spindle 8 and the attached movable jaw-Sftowards the xed jaw and such'teeth increase-in height from the endof the rack remote from the movable jaw 9 towards the end ofthe rackadjacent to such jaw and a longitudinal line vpassing through the apices of the teeth diverges lfrom theaxis of the spindle 8 from the rst mentioned end of the rack towards the last mentioned endffor a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

The pawl I3 is provided with a cam I8 which may .comprise `cam surfaces on each side of the tipo-f the Apawl which are adapted to engage kthe exterior surface of the sleeve 3 .when the actuating lever I6 and the pawl are reachingthe limit of their stroke, thus lifting the pawl from engagement witha tooth ofthe rack. A leaf spring Iil attached at one end :to the collar 6 has its free end pressing on the Apawl I3 to afford means for `resiliently holding ,it in engagement with a tooth of the rack lll and, in disengaging the pawl from the rack, the cam I3 acts againstthe action of suchleaf spring. Such leaf spring also tends to restore `the lever i6 to its initial position after it has been actuated.

In order normally to prevent retrograde movement of the spindle 8 andthe attached movable jaw 9, a pawl -20'is pivotedin a longitudinal slot 2l in the butt-end of the handle member =I and is adapted tovrengagethe teeth of a rack 22 longitudinally disposed on thespindle 8. The pawl ZI] is provided with a leaf spring 23 for normally holding it in engagementl with a tooth of -the rack unless disengaged therefrom by the free end of the lever yII coming into contact with the outer end of thepawl 20.

I will now describe rthemanner in which 4the nutcracker .constructedaccordngxto myinvention aotuates. The instrument is held substantially horizontally with the movable jaw 9 retracted and the nut to be cracked is inserted into the portion 5 of the xed jaw 4. By pressing forwardly on the movable jaw 9 it may be brought into contact with one end or side of the nut, the other end or side being in engagement with the fixed jaw 4 or, alternatively the lever I6 may be operated to bring the movable jaw into such position. In order to crack the shell of the nut the hand of the user extends round the handle member I and the lever I6 and pressure is exerted on the lever to bring its free end closer to the handle member. When this is done, the forked end I5 of the lever is swung in anti-clockwise direction causing the pawl I3 to move forwardly and as such pawl is in engagement with a tooth of the rack I4 the spindle 8 and the attached movable jaw 9 are moved forwardly crushing the nut shell between the latter and the fixed jaw 4. As the stroke of the lever is being completed the cam 8 engaging the exterior of the sleeve 3 withdraws the tip oi the pawl I3 from engagement with a tooth of the rack I4 and subsequently the free end of the lever I6 engages the outer end of the pawl 2l] and disengages it from a tooth of the rack 22 permitting the spindle 8 and the attached movable jaw 9 to be retracted under the iniiuence of the spiral spring I I in the bore 2 of the handle member I. The cracked nut may then be picked out of the portion 5.

The purpose of the pawl 20 is to prevent retraction of the spindle 8 and attached movable jaw 9 during the periods the pawl I3 is disengaged from the rack as occurs where successive strokes of the lever I6 are necessary to crack the nut shell or initially to bring the movable jaw 9 into contact with the nut, it being understood that by employing slightly shorter strokes of the lever I6 it may be operated the required number of times without tripping the pawl 20 which only occurs when a full stroke of the lever is taken. The full stroke is taken when it is desired to retract the spindle 8 and attached movable jaw 9 at the completion of the nut cracking operation.

When a large nut is being cracked the spindle 8 and movable jaw 9 are necessarily in a more retracted position and thus the pawl I3 engages a higher tooth with the result that on the swing of the lever I6 the pawl I3 will remain engaged with the rack for a longer period before the cam I8 `disengages such pawl from the rack tooth. Thus the movement of the spindle 8 will be greater than in the case of a small nut where the pawl I3 engages a tooth of lesser height. This construction enables nuts of different sizes to be effectively cracked without damaging their kernels.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have devised a simple and effective tool for cracking nuts which will be equally applicable for use on either large or small nuts and in which the movable jaw will be automatically retracted so as to remove the cracked nut readily at the completion of the cracking operation.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a nutcracker, in combination, a fixed jaw, a movable jaw, means for actuating the movable jaw forwardly towards the xed jaw to crack a nut disposed therebetween, means for retracting the movable jaw upon the release of the movable jaw actuating means from the movable jaw, and means associated with the movable jaw actuating means for automatically effecting its release from the movable jaw at the completion of a maximum forward movement of the latter and prior to the movable jaw actuating means being restored to its initial position.

2. In a nutcracker, in combination, a fixed jaw, a handle member associated with the fixed jaw, a spindle reciprocable in the handle member, a second jaw on one end of the spindle adapted to coact with the xed jaw to crack a nut disposed therebetween, means for actuating the spindle forwardly to correspondingly move forwardly the second jaw towards the fixed jaw, spring means for retracting the spindle and second jaw upon release of the spindle actuating means from the spindle at the end of a maximum forward stroke of the latter, and means associated with the spindle actuating means for automatically effecting its release from the spindle at the end of its maximum forward stroke and prior to the spindle actuating means being restored to its initial position.

3. In a nutcracker, in combination, a fixed jaw, a handle member associated with the xed jaw, a spindle reciprocable in the handle member, a second jaw on one end of the spindle adapted to coact with the fixed jaw to crack a nut disposed therebetween, a toothed rack on the spindle, a forwardly movable pawl engageable with the teeth of the rack for moving the spindle forwardly, a spring associated with the spindle for retzacting the same, means on the handle member for actuating the pawl forwardly, and means on the pawl for disengaging it from the toothed rack at the end of a maximum forward movement of such pawl whereby the spindle and second jaw are retracted under influence of the spring irrespective of further actuation of the pawl actuating means.

4. In a nutcracker, in combination, a xed jaw, a handle member associated with the fixed jaw, a spindle reciprocable in the handle member, a second jaw on one end of the spindle adapted to coact with the xed jaw to crack a nut disposed therebetween, a toothed rack on the spindle, a forwardly movable pawl engageable with the teeth of the rack for moving the spindle forwardly, a spring associated with the spindle for retracting the same, a lever swingably mounted on the handle member and pivotally connected at one end to the pawl, and a cam on the pawl engageable with the handle member for disengaging the pawl from the toothed rack at the end of a maximum forward movement of such pawl whereby the spindle and second jaw are retracted under the iniluence of the spring irrespective of further actuation of the lever.

5. In a nutcracker, in combination, a xed jaw, a movable jaw, means for actuating the movable jaw towards the fixed jaw to crack a nut disposed therebetween, means for retracting the movable jaw, means for preventing the retraction of the movable jaw during its forward movement by the movable jaw actuating means, and means incorporated in the movable jaw actuating means for releasing it from the movable jaw and substantially simultaneously tripping the movable jaw retraction preventing means at the completion of a maximum forward movement of the movable jaw.

6. In a nutcracker, in combination, a xed jaw, a handle member associated with the xed jaw, a spindle reciprocable in the handle member, a second jaw on one end of the spindle adapted to coact with the fixed jaw to crack a nut disposed therebetween, means for actuating the spindle forwardly to correspondingly move forwardly the 15- second jaw towards the Xed jaw, spring means for retracting the spindle and second jaw, means for preventing retraction of the spindle during successive operations of the spindle actuating means, and means associated with the spindle actuated means for releasing it from the spindle and substantially simultaneously tripping the spindle retraction preventing means at the completion oi a maximum forward stroke of the spindle.

'.7. In a nutcracker, in combination, a fixed jaw, a handle member associated with the xed jaw, a spindle reciprocable in the handle member, a second jaw on one end of the spindle adapted to coact with the xed jaw to crack a nut disposed therebetween, a toothed rack on the spindle, a forwardly movable pawl engageable with the teeth of the rack for moving the spindle forwardly, a spring associated with the spindle for retracting the same, a second toothed rack on the spindle, a second pawl on the handle member engaging the teeth of the second rack, means on the handle member for actuating the rst mentioned pawl forwardly, and means on the first mentioned pawl for disengaging it from the toothed rack at the end oi' a maximum forward movement of such pawl, said rst mentioned pawl actuating means tripping the second pawl subsuantially simultaneously with the disengagement of the first mentioned pawl from its toothed rack whereby the spindle and second jaw are retracted under the influence of the spring irrespective of further actuation of the rst mentioned pawl actuating means.

8. In a nutcracker, in combination, a xed jaw, a handle member associated with the fixed jaw, a spindle reciproca'ole in the handle member, a second jaw on one end of the spindle adapted to coact with the fixed jaw to crack a nut disposed therebetween, a toothed rack on the spindle, a

forwardly movable pawl engageable with the teeth of the rack for moving the spindle forwardly, a spring associated with the spindle for retracting the same, a second toothed rack on the spindle, a second pawl on the handle member engaging the teeth of the second rack, a lever swingably mounted on the handle member and pivotally connected at one end to the rst mentioned pawl, and a cam on the rst mentioned pawl engageable with the handle member for disengaging such pawl from its toothed rack at the end of a maximum forward movement of such pawl, said lever tripping the second pawl substantially simultaneously with the disengagement of the iirst mentioned pawl from the toothed rack whereby the spindle and second jaw are retracted under the influence of the spring irrespective of further actuation of the lever.

9. In a nutcracker, in combination, a fixed jaw, a handle member associated therewith, a spindle reciprocable in the handle member, a second jaw on one end of the spindle adapted to coact with the 'Fixed jaw to crack a nut disposed therebetween, a toothed rack on the spindle having teeth gradually increasing in height from the end of the rack remote from the second jaw to the end adjacent such jaw with their apices on a line diverging from the aXis of the spindle, a lever swingably mounted on the handle member, a pawl pivoted on one end of the lever and adapted to engage the teeth of the rack for moving the spindle and second jaw forward towards the fixed jaw upon actuation of the lever, and a cam on the pawl engageable with the handle member for disengaging the pawl from the teeth of the rack upon the pawl in its forward movement being turned through a degree or angularity with respect to the leverv sunicient to disengage it from the tooth of the rack it has engaged.

i0. In a nutcracker, a handle member including a longitudinally bored hand-grip portion and an axial sleeve extending from the hand-grip portion, a stationary jaw on the free end of the axial sleeve, a spindle reciprocable in said sleeve and adapted to protrude from its end adjacent the stationary jaw, a spring for retracting the spindle, a second jaw on the protruding end of the spindle adapted to coact with the stationary jaw to crack a nut disposed therebetween, a toothed rack on the spindle, a lever swingably mounted on the sleeve, a spring-held pawl pivotally mounted on one end of the lever and adapted to extend through a longitudinal slot in the sleeve into engagement with the teeth of the rack, and a cam on the pawl adapted to engage the sleeve.

il. A nutcracker as claimed in claim l0 wherein the stationary jaw includes a cupped nut rereceiving portion joining it to the sleeve.

l2. A nutcracker as claimed in claim 10 wherein a second toothed rack is provided on the spindle, and a second spring-held pawl engages the teeth of such second toothed rack.

13. A nutcracker as claimed in claim l0 Wherein a portion ci the bore of the hand-grip is of reduced diaineterto constitute a shoulder in such bore, a stop on the spindle adapted to Contact the shoulder, and the spring for retracting the spindle comprises a spiral spring surrounding the spindle with one end in engagement With the sleeve and the other end in engagement with the stop.

SAMUEL BERTRAM LENNARD. 

